A friend of the family living in the Netherlands once told me that after Napoleon (the first) invaded Holland, he attempted to bring culture to the area in the form of mandatory education, medicine and more. One of the things that were forced onto the local population was the use of surnames, likely as part of a census process which the French instituted. Having a surname was uncommon in the area.I surmise that in the smaller communities there was simply no actual need for then, and in places where there was a need, people were probably known by their name and profession which is not so much John Smith as it is John the smith.

But many people who disliked their conquerors and their French ways chose a rather short-sighted course of action. In a move that would have their descendants curse their names (and in fact, change their own), some people chose silly names, funny names and at times even vulgarities as their surnames - in an oh-so-clever move of mocking their overlords.

I found this list on another sight which tells pretty much the exact same story: